Improvement of health promotion and education interventions for physical
activity
From a public health perspective, the results from this thesis will contribute to the
development of intervention programmes with better reach and efficiency. Health
promotion programmes promoting physical activity should not only stop at
increasing and maintaining physical activity but also contribute to achieving a better
quality of life. Consistent with that motivation, the present study not only investigates
the predictive power of the TPB for physical activity but also links this with quality of
life and self-efficacy.
The WHO in response to the recommendations of a United Nations high-level
meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases held on 19–
20 September 2011, set a target to reduce physical inactivity by 10% by the year
2025 (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2016). In line with the WHO target, the Ministry
of Health Malaysia developed the National Strategic Plan for Active Living
(NASPAL) 2016–2025 to create a national culture that supports physically active
lifestyles by increasing active living opportunities for individuals, families and
communities (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2016).
The present study was conducted in collaboration with the objectives of the Ministry
of Health Malaysia to control the epidemic of non-communicable diseases. To this
extent, the present study applied the TPB to describe the socio-cognitive
determinants of physical activity behaviour. It will have both scientific and practical
utility: from a scientific point of view, the findings will provide a significant
contribution to knowledge about Malaysians’ salient beliefs on physical activity;
practically, future health promotion programmes could be improved by using the
findings of the study to target salient beliefs.
Contribute new knowledge to the literature
Literature examining physical activity behaviour using TPB in Malaysia is limited
and available studies mainly use cross-sectional methods. As behaviour change is
a process that unfolds over time (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997), the present study
adopted a repeated measures approach, which is relatively novel in TPB studies,
particularly in Malaysia. If the theory is found to be relevant and applicable with
enough explanatory power, the TPB could be used as the underlying theory in
developing future health promotions on physical activity in Malaysia.
Similarly the existing literature on physical activity using the WHOQOL-BREF
(WHO, 1996) questionnaire was limited. This research will add to the data on the
utility of the WHOQOL-BREF (WHO, 1996) questionnaire, which could be adopted
in future studies to determine the quality of life achieved by participants as a result
of engaging in physical activity. The findings of the present study will be of valuable
reference for future researchers studying the relationship between physical activity
and quality of life.
